


Neverland.

by donovanpsn



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: :(, :), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, It isn't mentioned in the fic but Lance's hair is the same color as Allura's, Lance and Allura are siblings, Langst, M/M, Sweet Sweet Fluff, altean!lance, and I've been writing it for two days, but keith makes it better, it's just a comfort fic, klance heavy, lance cries, my sons just want to be happy together, no beta I will sink with my ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 14:39:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13215903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donovanpsn/pseuds/donovanpsn
Summary: "We can sail away tonight on a sea of pure moonlight. We can navigate the stars to bring us back home. In a place so far away, we'll be young - that's how we'll stay. And with your hand in my hand I am closer now to finding Neverland."





	Neverland.

**Author's Note:**

> Heavily inspired by "Neverland" by Zendaya. The title and some of the lines within the fic come from the song's lyrics, and the entire atmosphere I tried to built is based off of the vibe I get from the song. I highly recommend listening to it while you read this because that song is MAGICAL.

Lance sat on the floor of the castle’s bridge with his legs drawn up under his chin and his glassy eyes fixated on a blank spot on the castle’s star map. He let out a soft, shuddering breath and leaned against one of Allura’s glowing pilot pillars, tightening his arms around his shins as a new wave of tears spilled over his blotchy cheeks.

“Ten thousand years.” He said, his voice catching pitifully. “Father.” He choked out, biting back a soft sob as memories of King Alfor filtered through his mind. God, he could practically smell the juniberry flowers that used to bloom all around their kingdom and see Altea’s two suns setting on opposite horizons.  

He had been so caught up in his own sadness that he completely missed the sound of footsteps approaching him from behind. He nearly fell forward in surprise when he felt a light hand fall onto his shoulder. He swiped his sleeves under his eyes and over his cheeks in a feeble attempt to erase his tears from existence, but the evidence still remained. More tears fell to replace those that had been removed in mere moments, anyways. With a sigh, he turned his head to face the intruder. His heart gave a surprised little _thump_ in response to the eyes that met his own.

Keith was knelt down in front of him, eyebrows pinched in concern. The paladin’s hand still weighed down his left shoulder, but he can’t say the pressure was unwelcome. If anything, it was grounding. Lance had felt far off – he had been caught up in the memories of a land that no longer exists, but Keith’s touch was enough to drag him back into reality. Whether he wanted to return or not isn’t up for debate – he’s part of the only resistance powerful enough to fight back against the Empire, now. He can’t afford to lose himself in the past and miss out on the present.

He offered Keith a shy, wobbly smile that probably looked a little ridiculous with the tears streaking down around it. He let out a little sniffle and nodding once as if to say _it’s okay; I’m okay_. Obviously, Keith saw right through him.

After a moment’s hesitation, Keith tugged Lance forward and wrapped his arms around the prince. He used one arm to support Lance’s shoulders and the other to cradle the prince’s head against his chest. He didn’t say anything, though. Actions speak louder than words and all that. He wouldn’t even know what to say right now, anyways.

Lance struggled to pull himself together for a moment before deciding that _no_ , that wouldn’t be happening right now. He allowed himself to crumble into Keith’s embrace, a shockingly loud cry torn from his lips as he buried his face in Keith’s bare chest (he’s so distressed that he doesn’t even have the energy to try to flirt with Keith by complimenting the pecs he’s crying into).

He trembled in Keith’s arms like a leaf in a hurricane and the sound of his sobs filled the room. He honestly wouldn’t even be surprised if he’s being loud enough to wake someone else. For a centuries old castle, the walls aren’t very thick.

After allowing himself a few minutes to break down, he pulled away with a quiet apology for losing it like that. He kept his eyes glued to the ground and didn’t mention the hand still tangled in his hair, lest Keith take it away.

“What… What were you looking at?” Keith asked, his voice rough and endearingly unsure. He’s never been very good with words or emotions, but he knows that Prince Lance _needs_ him right now. He needs to talk about whatever caused him to fall apart so spectacularly. At least Keith isn’t so socially inept he’d ask a crying boy if he’s okay. That would most likely be pretty high up on the list of things to avoid asking, right now. He had assumed that bringing up what Lance had been looking at when Keith first saw him would be a safe option, but if the way Lance choked up on a brand-new wave of tears was anything to go by, he’d say he’s probably dead wrong.

Lance struggled to speak for a few minutes, but Keith didn’t try to interrupt or change the subject. The damage from his question is already done, and he’s far too curious to try to take it back, anyways.

After a few more ticks, Lance took a deep breath and sat back to face the glowing star map all around them. He reached out with both hands and zoomed in on the blank space in the center of the map. His heart cracked at the sight alone. He’s immensely grateful for the arm Keith had left around his waist. He scooted a little closer as discreetly as possible.

“This… That empty patch of space… That’s where Altea used to be. My entire solar system – my entire _galaxy_.” He said, clenching his jaw to bite back yet another whimper. “That’s where Altea and so many other planets used to be before Zarkon betrayed us and decimated the entire galaxy. Daibazaal, Altea, Nalquod, Rygnirath, the Dalterion Belt… All of it is gone, now.” He breathed, bundling his long sleeve over his fist so that he could wipe away the tears that continued to spill over.

Keith was at a loss for words. He had no idea how to respond to this. He’s already shitty with normal conversations; how is he supposed to be able to comfort someone whose entire _galaxy_ was destroyed _while he was asleep_? Eventually, he decided to forego words and pulled Lance even closer, instead. He wrapped both arms around the prince and (awkwardly) pulled him into his lap. He hid his burning face by pulling Lance’s into his chest and hoped the prince wouldn’t feel his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest. He gazed up at the immense spot of empty space on the map and his heart ached for the prince in his arms. He doesn’t even _have_ any real family left on Earth and the thought of losing it to someone like Zarkon was enough to make him feel sick. Lance had a family, friends, and an entire _life_ on his planet. He was its _prince_ , for God’s sake. The only saving Grace is the fact that Allura and Coran had awoken from their cryo-sleep with him. Keith can’t possibly imagine waking up 10,000 years in the future and billions of lightyears away from his home with no one else to lean on. The mere thought sent a chill of loneliness through him, and he tightened his arms around Lance just a little more.

“Tell me about it.” He said, after realizing that Lance probably wouldn’t continue without some kind of prompting. The poor prince was so forlorn that he would probably cry himself to sleep without really letting anything out, if Keith allows him to.

“Wh-What?” Lance croaked, pulling away from his burrow in Keith’s neck to meet the paladin’s eyes, his own shining with confusion.

“Tell me about Altea. About your home.”

“Oh.” Lance breathed, slumping down against Keith’s chest as his mind raced with the sights and sounds of his once-great planet. “There are so many things to say. Where can I even begin?

Altea was… Unique. As I’m sure you can see in Allura and Coran, our people were highly adept with diplomacy and bargaining. We played a part in countless important events in the history of the universe. We oversaw the rises of nations, the falls of kingdoms, the formations of alliances, and the births of legendary heroes – most notably, the birth of Voltron. That isn’t all there was to us, though. Our planet was beautiful. Picture a land unlike any you have ever seen, where life is eternal and evergreen and a future of guaranteed happiness is always within reach. Gorgeous, vibrant juniberry flowers blossomed everywhere Alteans lived, our lakes and oceans were pure and untainted, and we had a wholesome, symbiotic relationship with all around us. We were a peaceful people by nature. It’s why Zarkon had no trouble destroying us. In fact, Voltron was the only true weapon we had in our arsenal, and it wasn’t even constructed for us – it was built to spread peace and stability across the galaxies. Aside from the great beast, Altea only had small blasters and the defenses built into the castle, but they were never truly used until the Great War against the Galra began. We were wiped out in mere days because of our lack of weaponry.” He said, his eyes shifting from Keith to refocus on the blank space on the star map. It was obvious that while he was very obviously sitting in the red paladin’s lap, his mind was several galaxies and centuries away.

“As I said, we were a peaceful people. We had no hostile intentions when we constructed Voltron or used it to neutralize the threat that had been established on the Galra home-world, Daibazaal. We merely wished to prolong the era of tranquility we had brought about, along with the Galra and the other species of our galaxy. We did not deserve to be so brutally slaughtered – my _entire species_ … Gods, I can’t even stand the thought. My people… I left them when they needed me most.” He choked out, his hands flying up to his face to muffle his whimpers. His subjects. They all looked up to him and Allura as the next generation of royalty, and they had been let down. The Alfor forced both of his children to abandon the planet during its most dire moment and allowed its entire civilization to perish. If Lance had only _been there_. If he had been there, he could have done so much to help. He could have organized a retreat by filling the castle with as many Alteans as possible before take-off. He could have manned the defenses and fought back against the Galra invaders for as long as the particle barriers would allow it. Maybe his presence wouldn’t have made _much_ of a difference, but at least he could have done _something_. He wouldn’t be damned to this hellish present – lost and alone and one part of a near-extinct species, 10,000 years from the life he once knew.

“I’ve taken to calling it Neverland.” He said, after his tears had subsided once more.

“What?” Keith asked, blinking dumbly down at the Altean prince. The sudden shift in conversation caught him off-guard, but he can’t say it was unwelcome. _Anything_ is better than being forced to watch this beautiful boy cry.

“Altea. I’ve begun to call it Neverland, after a story Pidge told me a little while ago.” He explained, slowly standing from Keith’s lap to step closer to the space map. He mourned the loss of contact for a moment, but he had to do this. He needed to see it, and he wanted to share it with Keith.

He swiped his hand across the map to dismiss it and placed one hand on the piloting pillar to his left. He shut his eyes, reached out with his quintessence the way he had been taught to do, and made contact with the castle’s systems. After a few ticks of trying, the window-screens all around the bridge lit up and filled the room with brilliant blue light that shone red behind his clenched eyelids. Once the light faded, he stepped back and opened his eyes. Beautiful fields of red and green spread out all across the screens, and twin suns blazed high up in a pale blue sky.

“I figure it would be easier to just show you. The castle stores recordings of its surroundings every time it is stationed somewhere new as a cautionary measure, in case we ever need to go back and review our surroundings for anything. This is – _was_ – Altea. This was where the castle was docked on my planet. Where Allura and I grew up.” He said, sucking in a shuddering breath as he took in the beauty of his home-world. He is so immensely relieved that his father had thought to include the camera systems. If it hadn’t been for that, his memory of Altea would eventually grow foggy and inaccurate. This way, he has what very well may be the last genuine image of what was his home.

“I call it Neverland now because of its twin suns.” He explained, gesturing towards the blazing balls of fire high up in the sky. “Second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning, right?” He laughed, though the sound was nowhere near as light or melodic as it usually is. It was sad – so incredibly sad.

“It’s more than that, though.” He continued, cutting Keith off before he could say anything. “It’s… a land that is eternal, now. It exists only in my mind, frozen in time, and it will remain there until I die. I may be several millennia old now, but in my memories of my home, I’ll be young forever.”

Keith was at a loss. He had absolutely no idea what to say or do, right now. Never in his life has he cursed his lack of social skills quite so colorfully as he is now. He aches to comfort the prince standing just mere feet from him, but he doesn’t know _how_. He’s worried that if he opens his mouth, he’ll say the wrong thing and ruin the moment. Lance is _trusting_ him right now. He can’t let the prince down. He wants to prolong this bonding moment for as long as possible. It may be a bit selfish of him to want to keep Lance in this state, but he can’t fight what his heart is telling him, and it’s very insistent that this moment should last _forever_. Eventually, he worked up enough courage to man up and just _say something_.

“When… When I was young, I had a star.” He began, worrying his lower lip between his teeth to help him focus on choosing his words with extreme caution. “Whenever I was frightened or felt alone, I turned to the night sky and stared at my favorite star until I felt better. It wasn’t the biggest or the brightest, but it was the only true constant in my life. Even after I left the Garrison and spent months alone in the desert, it was there for me. It’s the only thing that has never, ever left me.” He said, stepping into Lance’s space until he was pressed against the prince’s back. His heart struggled to beat out of his chest and his breath was coming out a little too quick, but he knows that this is what he wants. He reached out with shaky hands and laced his fingers with Lance’s at the prince’s sides. He lifted one of Lance’s hands and mimicked Allura’s actions from his first day on the castle to bring the star map back up. Once he managed to do it (without making a complete fool of himself, thankfully), he used their interlocked hands to pull up Earth and the rest of the Solar Sytem. Using Orion and The Little Dipper as his reference points, Keith zoomed in on one of the smallest stars nestled just between the two constellations. “I named it Keith 2.” He admitted, laughing a little at his own ridiculousness.

Lance hesitantly leaned back against Keith’s chest, his cheeks burning a deep blue color as Keith’s breath ghosted across his ear and neck. “It’s beautiful.” He whispered, tilting his head a bit to inspect the small, pulsating ball of fire. He could see why Keith had chosen it. It was small and kind of dim, but it blazed just as hot as (if not hotter than) it’s brethren – just like Keith. For whatever reason, Lance finds it extremely endearing, and he’s deeply touched that Keith is willing to share something so intimate with him.

“I wish I could take you back to your home.” Keith sighed, leaning his forehead against the back of Lance’s shoulder blade. “I wish I could make you happy.” He said, squeezing Lance’s hands a little tighter as he spoke. “We could sail away tonight on a sea of pure moonlight; I would navigate the stars and bring you back home. I would do anything to keep you from crying like you were ever again.”

Lance sucked in a breath and he felt tears welling up in his eyes again for an entirely different reason. “Keith.” He breathed, releasing the red paladin’s hands so that he could spin around and pull him into his arms. His heart is beating wildly and he’s probably being even more bold than he has been in quite some time, but he can’t deny that this is what he wants. For all the mindless flirting he does with everyone, he’s positive that this is real. What he feels for Keith – what he’s _been_ feeling since he first met the human – is so much more than a fleeting infatuation. Perhaps his survival of his planet’s annihilation may bring some good to his life, after all.

“Keith.” He repeated, cradling the boy’s cheeks and tilting his head up so their eyes would meet. “I can’t say that I’m happy, right now, but I promise that you just being here with me is enough to make me feel so much better.” He said, leaning down to press their foreheads together. He would be sure to tease Keith for their height difference later. For now, he’s too caught up in the moment. Standing here, bathed in the light of Altea’s suns and Keith 2, with the boy of his dreams cradled in his arms, he feels complete again.

 

_“And with your hand in my hand, I am closer now to finding Neverland.”_

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for the mistakes that are probably in there. I've been working on this for two days and I'm so tired but the idea just WOULD NOT leave me alone. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed selling my soul to it.
> 
> Comments and kudos give me life, but you can also message me on Tumblr @loverboy-lancemcclain if you want! :)


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